State police offer holiday tips….registration for Rural College ends early next month…..ID theft investigated by troopers at Kane….Bradford woman accused of making harassing phone calls…Both people involved in a fight Sunday in Cameron County have been arrested…

With the holiday shopping season under way, Pennsylvanians will be heading to malls and big box stores in search of the perfect gift for family and friends. Unfortunately, criminals will also be out – like the Grinch – looking for easy targets.

The Pennsylvania State Police offer the following tips to stay safe and reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

Be aware of your surroundings. Many holiday crimes are “crimes of opportunity,” meaning thieves prey on easy targets. Try to shop during daylight hours whenever possible. If you shop at night, park in well-lit areas and bring a friend or family member.

Keep valuables out of sight. Expensive presents in the back seat of an unattended car attract criminals. Lock your packages in the trunk. Don’t wear expensive jewelry and avoid flashing large amounts of cash while shopping.

Lock your car doors and take the keys. Thieves will walk through parking lots checking door handles for unlocked vehicles. Don’t make it easy for them. Lock your doors and take your keys. Every time.

Plan for packages. If you shop online, try to have packages delivered when someone will be available to accept them. You don’t want your items sitting on your doorstep for several hours while you are away. Consider having packages sent to you at work, or using the mailing address of a trusted friend or relative who is home during the day.

Watch for con-artists. The holidays are a time of giving, but don’t let people take advantage of your generosity. Be wary of strangers who approach you in parking lots and only donate to recognized charitable organizations.

Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t “feel” right, it probably isn’t. Speak up and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Call 9-1-1 to report an emergency.

For more information about the Pennsylvania State Police, visit www.psp.pa.gov.

After its successful first semester this fall, the Rural Regional College of Northern PA is announcing its spring semester courses, offered in partnership with Gannon University.

Eleven courses are being offered for the spring semester including: Introduction to Psychology, Principles of Macroeconomics, Environmental Issues, Principles of Accounting II, Marketing in the Global Environment, Foundations of the Business Enterprise, Basic Sociology, The Protestant Tradition, Introduction to Sacred Scripture, Critical Analysis and Composition, and Philosophy of Ethical Responsibility. These courses are part of two associate degrees – Business Management or Interdisciplinary Studies. However, if a student is not interested in an associate degree at this time, they can choose the course or courses they need for personal or professional development or take courses to transfer towards a degree program at another regional college or university.

This program is perfect for recent high school graduates, mid-career adults seeking to advance in their career or begin a new one, and current high school juniors and seniors who meet eligibility requirements and want to earn college credits while still in high school. This program is designed to be affordable, with state funding helping to keep tuition costs low. Students with a high school diploma or GED pay just $180 per credit. Current high school students pay just $60 per credit. Financial aid and scholarship opportunities are available.

All of the courses are offered in the evenings and are available at the Coudersport and Port Allegany offices of the Education Council, as well as 15 additional locations throughout northwest and north central Pennsylvania. Instructors teach classes live (real-time), and interactive television (ITV) allows all students to simultaneously view and interact with each other.

A Bradford woman has been arrested for harassment. According to state police at the Kane barracks, Monica Graham-Norris repeatedly called Tammy Watson at her Duke Center home several times Monday morning even after being told to stop.

Both people involved in a domestic violence incident Sunday afternoon on Rich Valley Road, Emporium have been arrested for simple assault and harassment. Since both are listed as victims, police did not release the names of the participants involved in the scuffle.

Frank BALOGH, 80, of Genesee, PA, formerly of Hatfield, died Tuesday, December 12, 2017 in his home.

Born June 18, 1937, in Paty, Hungary, he was the son of Lajos and Margit Kovacs Balogh.

On June 28, 1958, in Whitemarsh, married the former Virginia R. Hales, who survives.

He was employed by Keasbey & Mattison Co. in Ambler, Philco Ford in Lansdale, Zenith in Lansdale, and Pohl Associates in Hilltown.

Surviving besides his wife, Virginia, are: four children, William (Beth) Balogh of Hilltown, Karen Rapine of Westfield, Robert (Jennifer) Balogh of Black Creek, NY, and Cynthia (Jeffrey) Peddigree of Sellersville; 11 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; a brother, Lajos Balogh of Budapest, Hungary; and a niece. He was predeceased by a sister, Margit.

Friends may call at the Olney Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ulysses, PA on Friday, December 22, 2017 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM, with a Memorial Service following at 3:00 PM. Pastor Harold Kiel will officiate.

Memorials may be made to Genesee Area Library, P.O. Box 135, Genesee, PA 16923.

DEP is using new technology to track drilling….Updated information on Elk County hit and run….Minnesota driver in wrong lane causes Tioga County collision…..New Jersey man accused by troopers at Coudersport for DUI with children in vehicle….Burglary at Cowanesque Recycling investigated…..

DEP is using new technology to track drilling….Updated information on Elk County hit and run….Minnesota driver in wrong lane causes Tioga County collision…..New Jersey man accused by troopers at Coudersport for DUI with children in vehicle….Burglary at Cowanesque Recycling investigated….

Ridgway based state police have updated information about the hit and run Sunday night at the intersection of Route 255 and 555. Troopers now report the suspect truck was a 2006 Chevrolet truck or SUV. A Weedville man, walking on Route 555, was hit by the vehicle and suffered a broken right shoulder. Originally, they believed the vehicle was a Dodge Ram. Anyone with information is encouraged to call state police at 814.766.6136.

Troopers at Mansfield are also investigating a hit and run occurring December 8 just affter 10:00 am in Charleston Township. An unknown vehicle, going east on the Mann Hill Road, crossed the double yellow line, entered the westbound lane on a right curve and sideswiped a Dodge Ram driven by Matthew Isaacson of Blossburg. The impact forced Isaacson’s truck into some guardrails but he was not hurt. The unknown unit is described as being a dark colored Dodge pick up with possible lift kit.

One driver was hurt in a collision Sunday night in Tioga Township. Authorities report Matthew Gordon of Sault Sainte Marie, MI was headed east on the Mann Hill Road in the wrong lane. Aaron Eads of Bradford who was going east swerved into the westbound lane as Gordon recovered and went back into his own lane. He was taken to Soldiers and Sailors Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and is facing charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or a controlled substance. Eads was not hurt.

A New Jersey driver has been charged with DUI and endangering the welfare of children. State police at Coudersport claim 45 year old Scott Tester of North Cape May was driving under the influence of alcohol when they stopped him on Route 6 in Sweden Township on the evening of November 25. A 15 year old boy and an 11 year old girl were riding in his vehicle at the time.

DUI charges are pending against a 27year old Fort Walton Beach, Florida driver. Who was stopped by patrol officers on Route 44 in Eulalia Township last Friday night. Troopers at Coudersport say charges against the suspect are pending receipt of chemical testing results.

A burglary at Cowanesque Recycling last week was investigated by state police at Mansfield. Criminals forced their way into a building and tried unsuccessfully to steal money. Anyone with information is asked to call State police at 579.662.2151.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that it will
complete more oil and gas drilling site inspections in 2017 than in 2016, as a result of a GOTIME
project that replaced years of paper forms with a mobile app.
“Making the inspection process completely electronic has transformed the way our inspectors
do their job, increasing productivity, customer service, and transparency,” said DEP Deputy
Secretary Scott Perry.
“This project is a great example of how agencies can work together on common challenges,”
said Sharon Ward, director of the Governor’s Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management
and Efficiency (GO-TIME). “We are leveraging the award-winning mobile technology cultivated
at PennDOT so that other agencies can modernize how they perform their own field
inspections.”
DEP oil and gas compliance inspections have increased more than 300 percent in the past
decade, from 10,566 in 2007 to almost 35,000 in 2016. All inspections were done with paper
forms in the field, followed by data entry in the office.
“We wanted to switch to all electronic inspections for a while. It wasn’t until the GO-TIME
initiative that everything came together,” said Perry.
The DEP Office of Oil and Gas Management and Bureau of Information Technology teamed up
with PennDOT in 2016 to build off existing technology at PennDOT to create a mobile app with
preloaded operator and well information; photo and voice recognition capability; and a
connection to EFACTS, the DEP inspection and compliance management database.
Duplicate entry has been virtually eliminated, and trips between field sites and offices are
significantly reduced.
The first phase of the app–for surface activities—launched in February 2017, and by November,
surface inspectors were using it to conduct more than 99% of their inspections. In early fall,
functionality for subsurface activities was added. Considerable gains have been achieved:
• DEP is on pace to complete at least 2,000 more surface inspections in 2017 than in
2016, for an 11.5% increase.
• Inspectors’ productivity has increased an average of 16 percent since April and 29
percent in the fourth quarter of 2017.
• DEP will achieve over $500,000 in productivity savings — roughly equivalent to adding
six additional inspectors.
• Because the app records results in real time, inspectors can provide outcomes to well
operators sooner, in some cases the same-day.
• More inspection data are available to the public on the DEP web site, and more quickly,
because the app enables inspectors to collect more robust data and the inspection
reports are posted immediately.
GO-TIME is working to modernize government operations to reduce costs and improve
services. GO-TIME works with agencies to identify opportunities to share resources, collaborate
and engage employees in transformation. These efforts have saved taxpayers over $373 million
since 2015 through projects aimed at reducing costs, increasing productivity and improving
services to the public.
To learn more about GO-TIME, visit www.governor.pa.gov/go-time/.

Verizon had an internet power outage over the weekend affecting customers in the Black Forest Broadcasting Service area. The outage began Friday night and lasted until Sunday evening. No explanation provided as to the cause or how many customers were affected.

The cause of a fire which destroyed a two-story wood frame garage in Foster Township, McKean County is being investigated by the state police fire marshal. Several area departments battled to fire on McFadden Road last Thursday afternoon. The building was owned by James Heckle of Derrick City. Damaged is estimated to be $100,000. There were no injuries.

Just a couple of hours later, at 4:45 pm, firefighters were dispatched to a mobile home fire on Main Street in Lewis Run borough. The fire which caused $12,500 in damage to the trailer owned by Elizabeth Bailey was found to be accidental.

Ridgway based state police are looking for a vehicle which hit a pedestrian Sunday night at the intersection of Route 255 and 555. The vehicle is believed to be a blue Dodge pick up with the passenger side mirror missing. No information was provided about the male victim who was walking down Route 255 at the time of the 8:30 pm accident.

An Ohio man was seriously injured in a freak accident in Lewis Run Thursday afternoon. State police explain Richard Bucci of Belleville, Ohio was hurt who was driving an escort vehicle for an overized load of utility poles. When the tractor trailer, operated by Robert Yates of Burbank, Ohio, slowed down, Bucci’s vehicle collided with the load and one pole struck the windshield and hit him in the face and neck, exiting the back window. Traffic in both lanes of Route 219 was stopped for almost an hour.

State police at Coudersport have arrested two driver for speeding after recent crashes. Matthew Yoder of Gaines escaped injury last Thursday evening when his Chevrolet Silverado spun off of the Button Hollow Road in West Branch Township. The truck hit a speed limit sign and tree before stopping. A Hollidaysburg motorist also escaped injury in a speed related crash. State police report Garrett Yingling was going north on the Dutch Hill Road in Eulalia Township Saturday morning when his Ford F350 hit a patch of ice and spun off the road before rolling over onto the passenger side.

Both drivers were hurt in a collision last Wednesday afternoon in Ulysses Borough. According to state police, the collision occurred when Barbara Knickerbockers of Wellsville who was going east, merged onto North Street from a Y intersection and her Chevrolet VTR collided head-on with a GMC Sierra driven by Gail Wright of Genesee. Both women were taken by ambulance to Charles Cole Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Icy road conditions are blamed for a minor fender-bender last Tuesday in Oswayo Township. A Plymouth Horizon slid off of the Eleven Mile Road and hit a mailbox. Because the driver was not hurt and the car could be driven away, it was considered a “non-reportable.”

An Ohio truck driver is facing numerous traffic charges for a one-vehicle crash last Thursday afternoon in Fox Township, Elk County. Troopers relate Mussa Mussa lost control of his Volvo V100 went off of the Old Kersey Road, collided with an embankment, went back across the road and hit another embankment before stopping.

DUI charges are pending against a 64 year old Cuba, NY driver who caused a mishap on Route 6 half mile east of Port Allegany Sunday afternoon. State police claim the suspect, whose name they did not release, was driving a vehicle which crossed the center line forcing Caleb Benson of Port Allegany to serve to avoid a head-on collision. His unit sideswiped a section of guardrails before stopping. Both men escaped injury.

A Shinglehouse man has been arrested for harassment. State police allege 49 year old James Chappell grabbed Colin Norton’s shirt and pushed him against a wall last Thursday afternoon on Eleven Mile Road is Oswayo Township. Charges have been filed in district court.

State police at Mansfield have charged 56 year old James Lefehoc and inspection station violation. Officers claim Lefelhoc issued an inspection certificate for a vehicle which should have failed Pennsylvania State Inspection on November 16.

Retail theft charges have been lodged against 42 year old Tioga County resident Michelle Burzak. State police assert Burzak stole $135 worth of merchandise from the Mansfield Walmart Saturday evening.

Helen D. SHUTT, 79, of Ulysses, PA, went to be with her Lord on Saturday, December 16, 2017 in Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA.

Born September 27, 1938, in Coudersport, she was the daughter of Frank B. and Clara Hulbert Davis.

On November 23, 1957, in Coudersport, she married Lewis M. Shutt, who predeceased her on April 4, 2003.

She was employed by Bell Telephone in Coudersport as an operator, Galeton Production, and worked in the Northern Potter High School cafeteria. At age 50, she earned her LPN certification from BOCES in Belmont, NY and went on to be employed by Wellsville Manor, Sweden Valley Manor, and Dr. Callahan’s office in Galeton.

Helen was a member of the Ulysses United Methodist Church, Tri-Town Volunteer Firemen’s Auxiliary, and Order of the Eastern Star #95 in Ulysses, serving as Worthy Matron twice and secretary for several years. With Eastern Star, she also served as District Deputy Grand Matron, Grand Warder, and Grand Representative of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Friends may call at the Olney Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ulysses, PA Wednesday, December 20, 2017 from 2:00 – 4:00 and 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Funeral Services will be held 11:00 AM, Thursday in the Ulysses United Methodist Church. The Rev. Todd Lamer and the Rev. Russell Horning will co-officiate. An Eastern Star service will be held at the beginning of the funeral in the church. Burial will be in Ulysses Cemetery.

Nicholas J. “Nick” Mascino, 79, a longtime resident of Coudersport, passed away on Thursday, December 14, 2017 in the Olean General Hospital, Olean, N.Y., after a short illness.

Born on February 19, 1938 in Philadelphia, he was a son of Nicholas J. and Mary H. Domanico Mascino. In Buckingham, he married Alice M. Blundell, who passed away on November 26, 2009.

Nick was a graduate of North East Catholic High School in Philadelphia and attended Temple University

Nick had formerly owned Mascino’s Service Center in Philadelphia. After moving to Coudersport in 1969, he owned and operated C & M Motors on Route 6 and 872 in Coudersport.

Nick was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church in Austin. He was a member of Eulalia Lodge #342 F. & A.M. in Coudersport and a member of the Coudersport Consistory. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and was a general outdoors enthusiast.

Surviving are three daughters, Kathleen Phillips of Philadelphia, Jean Brooks of Emporium, and Dee (Chris) Carr of Tucson, Arizona; eight grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; several great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Julie (Gerald) Mayall of Lower Gwynedd; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents and wife, Nick was predeceased by a sister, Rose Marie.

Friends may call from 10am to 12 noon on Thursday, December 21, 2017 at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Turner Street, Austin, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at noon with the Rev. Joseph Dougherty, pastor, celebrant.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Nick’s family has entrusted his care to Kevin J. Dusenbury, funeral director/owner of the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home, Shinglehouse.